California now joins Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington as states that have enacted Extended Producer Responsibility laws for packaging. SB 54 (also known as the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act) is set to significantly impact alcohol manufacturers and retailers selling products both in and into California. The stated purpose of this law is to ensure that “producers” (as defined below, and which in some circumstances may include retailers) of single-use packaging and food service ware take responsibility for the end-of-life management of those materials and increase the use of recyclable and compostable packaging.
